Revealed: The Mastermind Behind Bayley's WWE Heel Turn

Here's how Bayley's acclaimed heel character came to life.

by Andy H Murray
Bayley WWE
WWE

Following on from being named at number one in the latest PWI Women's 100, WWE's Bayley has revealed that she personally came up with the idea for the heel turn that allowed to get her to this point.

Speaking on the PWI Podcast, Bayley said that after running her old babyface character for seven years, and experiencing great success with it, it wasn't something she wanted to do forever.

"I want to experience everything in my career," she said. "I knew I couldn't do it being that one character. Once I had the company's blessings and Vince's blessings, I had to make it work. I had to make it work because it was my decision. If I failed then I failed myself and I failed the company."

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Though she had already been a heel for a few weeks by that point, Bayley's most transformative night came on SmackDown's 11 October 2019 episode, when she emerged with a new look and cut her Bayley Buddies down with a spike. She then defeated Charlotte Flair to kickstart a SmackDown Women's Title reign that has now stretched beyond a full calendar year, completely changing every aspect of her act throughout this.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.